It’s been a strange week in broadcasting.
It seemed as though the future of the BBC - and the licence fee - would be left until the other side of the General Election.
The Corporation's Charter runs out in 2017 so something would have to be agreed by then, but first a House of Commons select committee, then the BBC's Director General, and finally the Chair of the BBC Trust all made public their visions for the future of the biggest broadcaster in Britain.
The most likely scenario seems to be this.
The BBC will eventually be funded, not by a licence fee, but by a levy which everyone household will pay, whether they use the Corporation's services or not. Some of the levy may go to other broadcasters.
The BBC Trust will go. There will be one BBC board with an independent chairman and a majority of non- executives on which the DG and key managers will also serve.
This will be overseen by some sort of public service regulator.
What we do not know, however, is how much money the Corporation will receive in 2017.
This week the DG Tony Hall, said that after the Election the BBC will lay out some choices so that the public can decide what it wants to pay for.
I don't think it is appropriate for me to comment in detail about this except to say that anything which gives politicians, as opposed to the audience, more control of the Corporation risks leading to pressure on its independent journalism.
I also worry about BBC Radio which no one seems to talk about, taking it for granted.
I have watched how in the last few years radio budgets have been cut, and some programmes now sound a bit 'thin' to me. Some more 'expensive' series, like Face the Facts have gone altogether.
Yet intelligent speech radio is ridiculously cheap compared to television which has much bigger budgets and more 'fat'.
I think that the serious radio audience is in danger of being taken for granted because it has nowhere else to go.
I discussed some of these issues with Professor Steve Barnett of the University of Westminster in this week’s programme.
This week I also talked to the outgoing Commissioner of comedy on Radio 4.
To a degree she is a victim of the cuts since she was asked to do her job part time, in 3 days rather than the 5 she works now.
Caroline Raphael has been one of the relatively few BBC bosses who would always come onto Feedback, even if the incoming fire was unrelenting.
I found the interview fascinating.
Next week, after the dramatic events in the Archers, its Editor, Sean O'Connor, will be coming onto Feedback.
Do let me know what you would like me to ask him.
